We've all heard of the Dyson vacuum cleaner: super power, super suction, reaches all corners and bagless. Not so long ago these were the vacuums of note, the ones to be had above all else and the only one to keep up with the Joneses.

However, James Dyson has moved away from the idea of house cleaning and into the realms of cars. Not much difference there then! He currently has engineers at this Wiltshire headquarters developing a lightweight electric motor fit for a car.

Of course, electric cars are all the rage these days in our bid to beat the soaring fuel prices and to cut down on our car insurance costs. We are told they are also better for the environment so for those who subscribe to the sort of scaremongering that would see us all up to our necks in melted ice caps over the next few years, then an electric car will make you feel like you're doing you part to reduce this possibility.

So we will soon be able to pick up a Dyson at the local car dealers that gets into all corners, is turbo charged and doesn't require a bag. You might even be able to reach 30 mph on it! Is it just me or are you also imagining people standing on little yellow and grey contraptions and zooming up the high street?

Currently, the best selling electric car is the G-Wiz and is Dyson's fiercest competition. It costs about a penny a mile to run but the battery takes up to eight hours to charge from the mains and will only last forty miles. So, as long as you don't travel more than twenty miles from home, you should, in theory, still be able to get home. So, you won't go very far but at least it will only cost you 40 pence for the round trip, cheaper than a bus fare, cheaper on car insurance and tax exempt so you win all round.

Dyson proposes to base his motors on those used in his vacuum cleaners and hair dryers. My son once had a little moped. That sounded like a hair dryer - I wonder if it had the same sort of engine? And does this open up the way for more powerful hairdryers? Could we have a much sought after yellow and grey hairdryer capable of drying hair at supersonic speeds?

At least we have Honda to thank for rescuing the outside of the proposed car. They intend to use the Dyson motor in a car rather than try to design and make one from scratch. The difference with this vehicle is that it will be fitted with a solar panel on the roof to charge enough power to last more than forty miles.
Oh please! A hairdryer on wheels with a solar panel? Do they intend to market these as reputable cars or give them away as booby prizes? Cheap car insurance is all very nice but you surely wouldn't need the theft option - who in their right mind would steal one?

Exactly how do they expect a solar panelled car to work in Britain? Famous for our lousy weather are we going to see the streets littered with run down cars every time a cloud passes over? If that is the case, it could take a while to get home from work every day.